WASHINGTON The head of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles is pushing for changes in a new federal driver’s license law, a measure that he says will cost the state $500 million to put into effect.

George Valverde came to Washington this week to explain the state’s views on how regulations for the Real ID Act should be crafted.

“We have asked for a longer lead time” Valverde said. “Based on what we know today, the worst case scenario is that we would not be ready” to start issuing licenses.

The Real ID Act was passed in 2005 and established federal standards for drivers’ licenses. To get a license, Americans must show proof of legal residency, such as a Social Security number or birth certificate.

Under the law, states must then verify the documents and reissue licenses to all 245 million drivers nationwide between 2008 and 2013.

Governors and legislatures, though, are frustrated with Real ID. They say it will break their states’ banks and there is too little time to put the program in place. A requirement that states must share driver information nationwide through linked databases has also raised concerns about privacy.

It is projected that it will cost $11 billion to implement the Real ID Act nationwide, according to a joint report by the National Governors Association, National Council of State Legislatures and American Association of Motor Vehicles Administrators. Congress has only appropriated $100 million dollars for the program.

States are not compelled to comply, but face an unpopular alternative: licenses for non-participating states will not be accepted as ID at airports, federal buildings or when applying for federal benefits.

Criticism of the law is nothing new. When it was passed, immigration advocates said it threw up barriers for those seeking asylum. Civil liberties groups worried linked databases would be targets for identity theft. States’ rights proponents objected to the fact that the measure was attached to must-pass spending bill for the Iraq war, leaving little room for debate.

Concerns over Real ID will be front and center as the National Governors Association meet here this weekend in closed-door meetings, said David Quam, director of federal relations for the group.

“We needed to know what the rules were right away as soon as Real ID was passed,” Quam said.

The rules for Real ID, which have taken 18 months to write, will likely be done at the end of this month, said Russ Knocke, a spokesman for DHS.

Valverde said that many of the problems facing DMV would be solved if those rules extend the time to reissue 23 million licenses. “If the period were 10 years, it would give us significantly more flexibility in terms of cost and infrastructure to handle the people we have to get through field offices.”

A DMV report found that, under the current law, it will cost $500 million to train staff, upgrade facilities and create databases for Real ID. It also said DMV facilities would be flooded by 2.5 million additional people each year between 2008 and 2013, significantly affecting customer service.

Right now, DMV can check a person’s social security number and residency status using a federal database, Valverde said. But he said DMV databases to check someone’s passport, birth certificate and driving record are still being developed and would not be ready by next year.

As it builds those databases, the department is worried about drivers’ privacy. With more time, Valverde said, information would be more secure and identity theft less likely.

“We have a very stringent protocol in how we treat personal information in our field offices” Valverde said, “and we obviously want to maintain that when it’s transmitted online.”

On his trip this week, Valverde met with officials at DHS to explain California’s take on what the rules for Real ID should look like.

“My sense is that they’re interested in incorporating the state’s perspective,” he said, “but the question is how it’s reflected and if it’s taken into account.”

On Capitol Hill earlier this month, Valverde sat down with staff members of the state’s Congressional delegation. In those meetings, he said more time and money would help California make Real ID work. He said, though, it’s not clear if any legislation will result.

“The Congressional staffs, I think, are very interested in listening and being responsive to our situation,” he said. “But like everybody else, they’re waiting to see the regulations before they make a decision about whether legislation is appropriate.”

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